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Some people are waiting for 2006 to see SMU turn this thing around, but I think we better go at least 5-6 THIS year. Most will agree our recruiting classes took a dip the last couple of years, three wins in two seasons will do that! We must show significant growth this season, to improve our recruiting class in 2006. This defense will lose a lot of starters after this season, and we don't want to hear that dreaded phrase (well, we are young) as an excuse in 2006! Here is a projected starting line-up for Baylor.

DE Justin Rogers-RS JR
T Brandon Bonds-JR
T Randy Denman-RS JR
DE Don Ieremia Stansbury-RS SR

LB Rico Harris-6thyr-SR
LB DD Lee-6thyr-SR
LB Alvin Nnabuife-RS SR

CB Rolando Humphrey-SR
S Joe Sturdivant or Randall Goode both JR's
S Jamie Harper-SR
CB Jonathan Lindley-SOPH

Thats SIX senior starters we will lose after THIS season! At top 25 programs they would reload, here it's called rebuilding a defense. The time to win is NOW!!!

The time to win is NOW!!!

Good luck. Except for September 3.

Thanks for the encouragement, LTBear, and same to you -- good luck (except Sept. 3!)
All I know is that when we had our winning season in the mid-90s, it was a very experienced team, lots of juniors and seniors. I agree that 2006 will be the breakthrough, but this year's team will be better. Getting D.D. Lee and Reggie Carrington back, and getting Rico Harris healthy -- that's going to be a huge boost for the defense. They played hard last year, but we just didn't have the bodies to run a full defense. Here's to massive improvement.

Go Mustangs - Beat Baylor!

Your problem is that the TRUE projected starters do not include 6 SRs, the starters are more likely SOPH at LB...save DD Lee or Carrington (who didn't play last year...)

If Rico/Alvin are starting at LB, we are in trouble, they is 200lbs-ers. Don is a nice occasional DE, but he better not be the FT starter..

The only SR starters SHOULD be:

CB Rolando Humphrey-SR
S Jamie Harper-SR

And I'll even give you a LOT of playing time in the Nickel or Dime for our slight LBs...that would be the best for this year...

2006 is the better year, provided Chris grows up and practices with the team next summer, or we better get some real improvement from one of our Frosh QBs for next year (that is, one of them better be a sleeper - in that they got passed up by OU, etc).

ALEX LIFESON wrote:
DE Justin Rogers-RS JR
T Brandon Bonds-JR
T Randy Denman-RS JR
DE Don Ieremia Stansbury-RS SR

LB Rico Harris-6thyr-SR
LB DD Lee-6thyr-SR
LB Alvin Nnabuife-RS SR

CB Rolando Humphrey-SR
S Joe Sturdivant or Randall Goode both JR's
S Jamie Harper-SR
CB Jonathan Lindley-SOPH

ALEX LIFESON wrote:Some people are waiting for 2006 to see SMU turn this thing around"

While some of us have been waiting since 1989!

we need a solid defense and a QB that protects the ball - simple as that

in context-we gave up about 38 points per game and were were on the negative side of a 30-11 turnover margin last year.

Another depressing fact, there were 5 opponents last year (Fresno State, TCU, OSU, Rice and UTEP) that scored 227 unanswered points against us.

Which leads to the bigger question, can we be THAT much better with 1 extra year under our belt or do we simply need different players.

SoCal_Pony wrote:Which leads to the bigger question, can we be THAT much better with 1 extra year under our belt or do we simply need different players.

I guess we will have the answer to that in about 4 weeks.